Eaker fosters transparency, connection to improve health outcomes in new role at Humana

August 21, 2020

Erik Eaker

Erik Eaker, MHA, stepped into a new role as associate vice president of technology solutions at health insurer Humana in March 2020. In this position, he oversees the company’s interoperability strategy, which delivers data, insights and industry-wide connectivity between Humana and its members, providers, government partners, third-party entities and other payers.

He is a double alumnus of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, having earned Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Master of Health Administration degrees from the Gillings School. His involvement in the School didn’t stop there. He has been deeply committed to the continued success of the institution that he credits with developing his penchant for leadership and innovation and serves on the Public Health Foundation Board, whose members assist with fundraising and provide fiduciary oversight of the assets of the foundation that manages the School’s endowments and charitable gifts.

“At the Gillings School, I received a well-rounded public health education that taught the fundamentals of what makes better health of populations achievable and involved immersive study of the lives and experience of people who need advocates,” said Eaker. “This education prepared me for a career of designing and leading innovative health services and population health strategies, consulting with government agencies and companies, and now improving access to the data and insights that patients and doctors need to achieve better health outcomes.”

“As a member of our Public Health Foundation Board, Erik is committed to ensuring the School maintains a firm financial footing,” said Karissa Grasty, executive director of the Public Health Foundation. “His personal support and efforts to generate funding for our students and faculty ensure we can continue to provide an excellent educational experience and that we will have a strong base to build on to meet future demands.”

In his new position, Eaker works to ensure that the entities associated with Humana collaborate within a transparent, connected ecosystem, with a focus on making interoperability foundational in a way that supports Humana’s larger strategy, improves industry standards and drives end-user adoption of transparent data management practices.

In his previous role as director in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, he was responsible for Humana’s Bold Goal initiative, which worked to make the communities Humana serves 20 percent healthier by 2020. During his 18 years there, he has led the company’s Group Segment Consumer Experience Practice and the start-up and operation of its European commissioning, consulting and technology subsidiary in London, England; consulted with England’s Department of Health; and has led numerous innovation, international business development and digital health initiatives.

Eaker has also worked at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, as a graduate assistant at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and as a volunteer administrator at the National Deaf Children’s Society, and he served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines.

In addition to serving on the Gillings Public Health Foundation Advisory Board, he serves on the Speed Art Museum Board of Governors, is Co-President of the Pride Network Resource Group at Humana and serves as chairman of the board at IDEAS xLab.

Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomms@unc.edu.